Burcu's Page

Step 1

1. What is your topic?
My topic is African-American Civil Rights Movement.

2. Give two reasons why you selected this topic.
I selected this topic, because I’m interested in ‘black history’ and I also like to learn more about people, who changed the social beliefs, that also black people should be treated like white people.
3. To what specific courses does your topic relate?
My topic relates to history classes, but I also had African-American Civil Rights Movement in my English class (in Germany).

4. Determine whether the primary focus of the issue is cultural, resource, economic, environmental or political. Explain your decision.
The primary focus is cultural and political, because for example African-Americans couldn’t sit next to white people or entered the same school. Its cultural, because it was in society and the politicians had also a major impact of the African-American rights.

5. Recreate the following on a separate piece of paper.
K: What I know about the topic
-People like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King were involved in the African-American Civil Rights Movement.
-Rosa Parks didn’t give up her seat to a white passenger and thought, that they were treated unfairly as individuals and as people.
-Martin Luther King was the leader of the civil rights movement and his famous speech is ‘I have a dream’.
-Nine black students attended a high school, where only white people were, which was in Little Rock, Arkansas.

W: What I want to know about the topic.
-How did these racial rights begin?
-Who was the leader of this racism?
-Was this African-American Civil Rights Movement only in America or also in other countries?
-Were all the white people against black people?

L: What I have learned about the topic from Preliminary Reading/ Courses Studied.
-The African-American Civil Rights Movement was in 1955 to 1968.
-The Black Power Movement lasted from 1966 to 1975.
-For more than 60 years, blacks in the South were not able to elect anyone to represent their interests in Congress or local government.
-Martin Luther King got his Nobel Peace Prize on December 10, 1964 and he was the youngest man to receive the award.
-Nearly 100 activists were in Mississippi (also white college students) for ‘Freedom Schools’ and organized the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.

6. Based on your prior knowledge and studies, what are three important themes or issues pertinent to this topic? Outline and explain.
I think it is important, that people did something, to be treated like the white people. This is important, because everyone should have the same rights and it does't matter how they look like or in what they believe.
Rosa Parks didn't give up her seat for a white person and this is an important fact in 'black history', because she is seen as the 'mother' of the civil rights movement and with her acting she became an international icon of resistance to racial segregation. She was one of the most important persons, who tried to change the rights.
Martin Luther King was also one of the most important people, who was involved and also the leader of the African-American Civili Rights Movement. He was the president of the Montgomery Improvement Association. This organisation directed the boycott (after Rosa Parks actin, by don't giving up the seat for a white person). This protest made Martin Luther King famous, as a national figure.
7. Create two controversial quetions about the topic that your thesis paper may answer.
Did no one in the american government support the African- American Civil rights movement?
Did the goverment suppressed the movement?

8. Using the “Evaluating Internet Resources Criteria” found at the following website: http://www.library.ubc.ca/home/evaluating/Easyprint.html find 3 resources on your topic on the web that fit the criteria of a valid Internet resource.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/exhibit/aopart9.html
http://www.ghi-dc.org/index.php?Itemid=263&id=536&option=com_content&view=article
http://www.sahistory.org.za/classroom/grade12/3_1_2.htm

Step 3

Hypothese

african- Americans tried everything in a peacfull way to get they civil rights.

Topic
My topic is African- American Civil Rights Movement. People like Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were some of the Civil Rightsleaders.

Overview of Topic:

African-American Civil Rights Movement became a major national political issue in the 1950's and early 1960's. It aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against African-American and retouring voting rights in Southern states. This movement was the period when African-Americans made their entry into the American mainstream. The persisted drive for civil rights was centered on political issues, like voting, educational opportunities, and better housing and increased employment education. The demonstrators used tactics such as marches, demonstrations, voter registration and other forms of civil disobedience.

Controversial Questions:

  • How did the government react, after the demonstrations?
  • Did the politicians ignored them?
  • Hypotheses:

  • Hypothese
    All African-American’s and white’s should be treated equally. You can’t be superior, because of your skin color, religion or your nationality.

    Factual Questions:
    Who started at first the African-American Civil Rights movement in the 1950s?
    How did the population react?
    Where was the first Civil Right Movement?
    When were blacks and whites get started treated equally?

  • Clarification Questions
    Why were blacks seen lower, than whites?
    When did Martin Luther King his first demonstration?
    How did King lead the movement?

    Interpretive Question
    Who were the first black high school teenagers, who attempt a white high school?
    What did the demonstrators do to get their rights?
    Why was King associated?

    Inquire Question
    Is the Civil Right Movement over and are black people being treated equally today?
    Was the Civil Rights Movement peacefully?
    How was their daily living infected before and after the movement?